Working at a different level? Curriculum differentiation in Irish lower secondary education

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Non-technical summaryYoung people in Irish secondary schools sit their lower and upper secondary exam subjects at higher or ordinary level. This paper draws on a study which followed young people in twelve case-study schools from the beginning to the end of their secondary education. The study involved both quantitative survey data and qualitative group interviews, providing a more comprehensive picture of the factors influencing subject level take-up.Half of the schools in the study used streaming, with students assigned to different ability groups for all subjects. This approach was more common in schools serving more disadvantaged communities. Within streamed schools, young people in the lower stream classes were usually allocated to ordinary level, which limited their potential achievement and the kinds of options open to them on leaving school.Half of the schools had mixed ability base classes, though sometimes used ability grouping for specific subjects such as Maths, Irish and English. These schools were found to differ in the extent to which teachers encouraged students to take higher level for as long as possible.Young people from working-class or non-employed backgrounds are much less likely to take higher level subjects at lower secondary level, even taking account of their prior ability in reading and maths. Over and above the effect of individual social class background, students attending schools with a concentration of working-class students were much less likely to take higher level subjects. This was partly explained by the greater use of streaming in these schools but teacher expectations and encouragement were found to play an important part.Overall the paper shows how schools frame the opportunity for students to make choices that matter for their later educational career and school practices can act to reinforce social class inequalities in educational outcomes.

The role of schools in explaining individuals’ subject choices at age 14

“…The negative association between being in a local authority in which a significant proportion of pupils attend selective schools and the academic selectivity of subjects that individuals study raises the possibility that local education markets (for pupils and teachers) also impose constraints on the subjects that schools may viably offer. Qualitative evidence presented elsewhere in this special issue provides insights into the ways in which the social class composition of the school can influence school practices (Barrance & Elwood, 2018;Smyth, 2018).…”

The early impact of the revised Leaving Certificate grading scheme on student perceptions and behaviour

“…These patterns are likely to reflect the extent to which lower take-up of higher-level subjects at junior cycle in DEIS schools constrains the extent to which students are eligible to take higher-level subjects at senior cycle. Previous research has found that more rigid ability grouping in DEIS schools, coupled with lower teacher and student expectations, channels young people into ordinary and foundation levels for the Junior Certificate (JC) (Smyth, 2018).…”

“…For example, research shows how school organisation and process shape access to the curriculum and the take-up of higher-level subjects in both junior cycle and senior cycle. The same is true of early school leaving and experiences of school (Smyth 1999;Byrne and Smyth 2010;Byrne and McCoy 2017;Smyth, 2018). That is, aspects such as the gender mix of the school, the social class mix of the school, and in particular ability grouping practices adopted in the school each exert independent effects on access to the curriculum.…”

Differentiation in Heterogeneous Foreign Language Classes

“…As a result, the academic success of low achievers saw significant improvements among learners of the English language, ensuring a considerable change for the learners within a mixed ability class. Furthermore, differentiated instruction produces the best outcomes in a mixed ability class with various abilities (Smyth, 2018). As a result of the improved post-test scores, differentiated instruction proved successful.…”